I was actually on the look out for the 08 Concept version of Bumblebee and was going to skip this older, classic Bumblebee until JoshB put this in my hands. See that’s the nice thing about having friends that have kids, even if THEIR not chasing some elusive toy odds are they will run across something you ARE looking for sooner or later.

This version of Bumblebee makes a great toy but also a really sharp looking robot. Transformation is simple yet he transforms into a solid, VERY poseable, figure. He features 15 points-of-articulation with most joints actually on ball sockets.

Early pictures I was seeing did not make this look very appealing, it’s one you need to feel and handle to really appreciate. He comes with two missiles launchers that can be mounted on the shoulders or carried in his hands. These also store in his underside when in car mode.

In car mode he looks slick as well. With free rolling wheels it makes for a god toy for the little ones. A tip to those who may pick him up, you need to make sure the arms are completely straight and aligned when in car mode to make sure all the seems on the hood line up and lock. Something I had not figured out yet when shooting the video.

I have two small complaints. The first is the Quality Control on the paint scheme. In robot mode on the cod piece the seam looks misaligned and two different colors of yellow where used. Second the Autobot symbol in robot mode is a bit twitchy. It looks like it should have locked into the chest but did not finish the design so if you rotate the head forward or back the piece with the symbol falls into the chest. Not a big deal but worth noting.

I am glad I got the Classic one now, it’s a great toy and a great robot but I am definitely still on the look out for the 08 version. You however should go grab one when you can, it’s a winner.

I've got this ver. as well. He's less loyal to the classic ver. seen on-screen as well. The '08 concept ver. that Atom here will be reviewing soon, is closer. That one, I want to get. I also agree that they could have added some more paint to BB here- particularly on the front of his legs to hide the stark yellow-to-black transition between the parts, and to make him match his on-screen appearance better.
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Anyways, yes, you can attach the missile launchers to BB's wheels in vehicle mode, but, yes, it will prevent them from turning. This guy is different from the "TF:Cybertron" US-exclusive Downshift in that regard.
(BTW, that Downshift toy is one of my all-time favorite TFs because he has such a great disguised mode! Who would think to look for an advanced alien robot beneath that classic car design!? That's why I was disappointed that BB changed his form in the movie. I know he was trying to appeal to Sam 'n all, but...)
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Something else about those cannons (yes, it really is hard to get them in/out of that vehicle mode!) is that they do make a brief appearance in the movie. As Mikaela (sp?) is driving the tow truck backwards- "I'll drive, you shoot"- Bumble bee goes head-first towards Brawl/Devastator. Now, in addition to the 'pop-out' cannon in his right arm, he deploys two small cylindrical cluster missile launchers from, yep, his shoulders. You can see the molded detail on the toy's launcher parts when the missiles aren't in place. So, they aren't really meant to be held in BB's hands even though the toy can do this; only reason he can hold them is because he needs to in order to keep them inside his vehicle mode.
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CollectionDX Staff